


Scar My Body, Scar My Heart

by sophisticus



Series: Pink Lightning [16]
Category: One Piece
Genre: AU - Straw Hats go to save Ace, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-07-27 10:12:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16216892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophisticus/pseuds/sophisticus
Summary: Kitty thought her soulmate died years ago. After leaving Ace's crew and joining Luffy's, she suddenly starts receiving scars from her soulmate once again - right at the same time the news of Ace's arrest made it into the newspapers. This is too much of a coincidence for Kitty, who convinces the crew (with Luffy's help) go to rescue Ace from execution.





	1. Histories

Kitty grew up hearing about soulmates, of course. Everybody wanted to find theirs – romance was idealized, so it always sounded like you could never be happy unless you found “the one”. And some people did – all you had to do was find someone who had the same scars that you did. Some people scarred themselves intentionally to help speed up the process, giving themselves something obvious or strange-looking that couldn’t be missed. One girl Kitty knew went so far as to carve her address into her leg.

Personally, Kitty wasn’t too sure about the whole thing. Whoever her soulmate was, they were either living one hell of a rough life, or were too stupid to avoid fights. She woke up every morning with fresh scars. However this soulmate thing worked, she was at least glad she didn’t get whatever bruises the person likely had, and the scars she got were small and didn’t stand out too much. Judging by how much she ached, however, she was getting the light end of the bargain. Even as she idly stared at the scars across her knuckles now, a fresh sting flashed across her hand, and she watched as yet another short scar etched into her skin, just left of her middle knuckle.

“Damn idiot,” she muttered.

In short, she didn’t really put too much stock in it. Some people found their soulmate only to end up breaking up again because they were vastly different people in the end. Others found happiness with people who weren’t their soulmate, but had happy lives together anyway. Her parents had done that – they both had soulmates out there, but that didn’t matter. They’d been married for almost a decade by time Kitty was born, and they never showed signs of wanting anything else in life.

Well…except for when they were arrested for fraud and spent another decade in prison, but that was another story.

Something changed while she was in the foster system, though. Two weeks before Kitty turned eighteen and would be legally allowed to move out from the less-than-functional family she’d been stuck with, the aches stopped. The scars stopped. They’d been better in the last several years – maybe her soulmate had finally learned how not to get their ass beaten daily – but it was still frequent enough for her to know they were still alive. Now, they were gone. As the weeks stretched on and Kitty struck out on her own, not very successfully at first, she felt nothing but her own pain from any time she got a papercut or bruised her shin on a table. When it had been 6 months of nothing, Kitty came to the conclusion that her soulmate had died.

Despite her skepticism of the whole thing, the realization had left her in tears. She didn’t know why the idea upset her so much, but it did. That was the beginning of the worst year of her life – no financial support whatsoever, nobody decent wanted to hire a high school drop-out, and on top of it all, her foster family was still incredibly pissed at her for accidentally stealing a Devil Fruit they’d come across and were planning on selling on the black market for extra cash. How was she supposed to know the weird looking bunch of grapes in the fridge were actually a Devil Fruit? Nobody had told her to not grab them when she was munchy.

That year, Kitty had never felt so alone.

Then Ace had burst into her life with all the subtlety of a hurricane made of flames. Which is almost literally what he’d done – the man had a powerful fire logia Devil Fruit, and a bounty of enough money to pay off the student loans of every one of Kitty’s old classmates. He was recruiting for his pirate crew, he’d said, and offered Kitty a spot on his ship – Ace had heard about her through the grapevine, and thought she sounded like she could take care of herself. The lightning Devil Fruit she’d eaten was a bonus. She’d joked that he’d have to make her his first mate, in order to get her on a boat where it was all too easy to fall over the edge and drown in the endless ocean. To her shock, Ace had agreed immediately.

In the end, Kitty had agreed to join for real. After the last decade of a less-than-stellar upbringing, he was like a ray of sunshine breaking into her dim reality and scattering the shadows. He was able to pull her thoughts away from her dead soulmate and her shitty foster family, and offered her a home and a new family – this time, one that wouldn’t steal her stuff or lock her out of the house overnight for coming home ten minutes late. Ace may have been obnoxious and occasionally not so bright, but he was a genuinely good dude, and managed to put a true smile on her face for the first time since her parents had been taken away in a police cruiser when she was eleven.

After a year on the crew together, Kitty had come to implicitly trust Ace as both a friend and her captain. Hell, she’d even finally scored a bounty for herself, a modest fifteen million berries. Ace had been so proud when they’d found out, he’d pinned up her poster in the captain’s quarters. He’d often stay up late with her, keeping her company on her night look-out shifts, talking for hours under the stars. Eventually, of course, conversation turned to soulmates. If it were anybody besides Ace, Kitty probably would’ve refused to talk about it. But this was Ace, her best friend in the entire watery world.

“Have you met your soulmate?” Ace asked late one night. It was cold enough that their breath hung in front of them in silvery clouds, highlighted by moonbeams. Ace had even put on a shirt for a change, that’s how cold it was. The two of them sat huddled together in the crow’s nest, keeping a cursory eye on the horizon.

“No,” Kitty answered after a long moment. “They died years ago.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that,” Ace said quietly.

“What about you?”

“They’re out there somewhere,” he said confidently. “They must be real careful, though. I hardly ever feel anything from them, and it’s never anything major.”

“Lucky.”

He peered down at her with a knowing smile. “I thought you didn’t buy into the whole soulmate thing?”

“I don’t,” Kitty retorted. “I just...it surprised me how sad I was when my soulmate died. I guess I’d been actually hoping to meet them, have a happy life, that kind of thing.” She fidgeted with the hem of her sweater, not meeting his eyes until he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

“Well, whoever your soulmate was, they’re missing out,” Ace said confidently. “Not gonna lie, sometimes I wish we were soulmates.”

This earned a giggle from Kitty, and she shoved at him lightheartedly. “Now you’re blowing smoke up my skirt.”

“No I’m not,” Ace said, feigning hurt. “I mean it, you’re incredible. You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re talented, you put up with my bullshit but don’t let me or anybody use you as a welcome mat. You’re also beautiful, which never hurts.”

Kitty stammered a bit, a blush rising up on her cheeks which only made Ace’s grin widen. “You’re flattering me.”

“I’m trying.” Ace released her and leaned back against the mast. “I do mean it though. I trust you with my life, and I could see myself being happy with you if we ever went down that road. Being soulmates on top of it all would just be icing on the cake.”

Kitty had no idea what to say to that, but she was saved by Ace standing and saying he was finally gonna head to bed. He climbed down the rigging, leaving her alone in the crow’s nest with her thoughts.

Barely six months later, the growing tension between captain and vice captain snapped, and Kitty found herself waking up in Ace’s arms, in his bed. If she hadn’t known that her soulmate had died, she’d swear this was what all that romantic nonsense would be like. This was the happiest she’d been since her parents’ arrest, and she couldn’t think of any place on the planet she’d rather be, or anybody whose side at which she’d rather be.

—-

Eventually the day came when Kitty made the incredibly difficult decision to leave the Spade pirates. Ace was determined to make his way into the Grand Line and find this Shanks guy, but Kitty couldn’t head into the Grand Line without returning home and trying to rebuild what was left of her burned-down childhood home. Not that she got much work done before Luffy and his crew came in and turned her life upside down once more.

Following their impromptu jailbreak of her parents, Luffy had all but begged for her to join his crew. While he was certainly an interesting character, and had done more than his share of work to help free her parents, she refused him.

“What? Why not?” Luffy demanded.

Kitty sighed. “I...I’m part of a crew already,” she admitted. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji all looked surprised, but Luffy’s face lit up in delight.

“You’re a pirate too!” he shouted excitedly. “Oh man, that’s so cool! What crew is it? Maybe we know them!”

“If you already have a crew, then why aren’t you with them?” Nami asked curiously.

“My captain wanted to go to the Grand Line, but I couldn’t go yet without rebuilding my home or my parents getting out of prison. Though I guess I’ve gotten that part done,” she chuckled.

“You know, the Grand Line is where we’re headed next,” Sanji pointed out. “I don’t see a reason we couldn’t give you a ride. If all goes well, we’ll find your captain and you can rejoin their crew.”

“Yeah! And maybe you’ll change your mind on the way!” Luffy added brightly.


	2. Reunion

The Straw Hats were every bit as crazy as the Spades, if not moreso. As frequently as they got banged up, Kitty was glad none of them were her soulmate - especially the swordsman, Zoro. He’d been severely injured shortly before their crew came to her island, and the result was a garish scar stretching across his chest from collarbone to hip. She suspected he’d only survived from sheer willpower.

Her suspicion changed to incredulity during their exploits on Little Garden. They’d been trapped, and Zoro attempted to  _ cut off his own feet _ to escape. He didn’t strike her as self-destructive; maybe he was just that willing to do what had to be done.

Or he was an idiot. That was possible too.

But they escaped, and won, and continued on their way along the island chain towards Alabasta to help their friend Vivi. Drum Island was a nightmare - Kitty was  _ not _ cut out for the cold, having been born on a tropical island. When they finally recruited Chopper, got Nami’s illness cured, and moved on, Kitty breathed a sigh of relief. You could only move around so much when you’re bundled up in four layers of clothes, and are  _ still _ freezing your toes off.

In comparison, Alabasta was  _ great _ . Still too dry for her taste, but at least it was warm. Things were going relatively well - or at least, as well as could be expected, with Luffy around - but then something happened that Kitty never would’ve expected: Ace showed up out of nowhere to save their asses from the marines.

His back was turned, and he didn’t seem to have noticed her specifically, but even without the signature hellfire, she’d have recognized that gaudy orange cowboy hat anywhere.

“Ace!” Kitty blurted out. His head whipped around at her shout, and his face lit up at the sight of her.

“KIT-”

He was interrupted by Smoker taking another swing that phased straight through his head in a burst of flames. He turned back and jumped back in the battle, but she could see him stealing glances back at her every time he could.

“Ace-”

“Come on,” Nami said forcefully, grabbing Kitty’s arm and dragging her away. “Run first, talk later!”

\---

Kitty paced anxiously across the deck of the Merry, glancing at the shoreline now and then. Luffy had gotten separated from the crew during their escape, because of course he did, and Ace was nowhere to be seen. Kitty barely heard her friends asking her how she knew that guy with the fire Devil Fruit powers, but they were interrupted by the now-familiar  _ smack _ of Luffy’s hands grabbing onto the railing. A second later, he yanked himself aboard, arms audibly snapping back to their ordinary length.

“Wow, that sure was close!” he exclaimed. “Smo-guy almost got us there!”

“Where is Ace?” Kitty interrupted. She felt everyone’s eyes on her, but she didn’t care. “He was right behind you-”

“Aw, did you miss me, darlin’?”

Kitty whipped around, already smiling before her eyes fell upon Ace, crouching on the railing, that familiar cocky grin across his freckled face.

“Hey,” he drawled.

Kitty squealed and flung herself at him. He held her just as tightly as she held him, and spun her around twice before lowering her back to the deck. Tears of joy pricked at her eyes even as they finally separated.

“About time I found you!”

“I told you I’d wait on the Grand Line for you.”

Luffy, Sanji, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, and Vivi’s faces were absolutely priceless when she turned back to face her friends. Her face turned red at their gawking.

Predictably, Luffy was the first to recover. “You two met already??” he demanded. “How?”

Ace slung his arm around Kitty’s shoulders. “Kitty here was my vice captain for over two years,” he said proudly. “She kept my crew in shape just as well as I ever did.”

Her friend’s gawking turned to outright bug-eyed shock.

“You said you were already a pirate, but you didn’t say you were a vice captain! And to Fire-Fist Ace! He has one of the highest bounties out there!” Usopp exclaimed. “That would put you equal to Zoro, or better!” Off to the side, Zoro scowled, making Usopp cower.

Kitty’s blush deepened. “I didn’t want to brag.”

“Luffy, you haven’t told us how  _ you _ know Ace,” Vivi reminded him.

“Oh yeah! Ace is my big brother!” he said cheerfully.

For the second time in as many minutes, the Straw Hat crew was struck speechless. Ace looked on in smug amusement as Luffy’s crew burst into disbelieving chatter, berating him for not mentioning it earlier.

“Actually,” Nami interrupted, turning to face Kitty again. “I don’t believe Ace never mentioned Luffy once the whole time you were on his crew. You knew who Luffy was to him, and who he is to Luffy. Why didn’t  _ you _ say anything?”

The Straw Hat’s incredulous stares turned back at her. Kitty groaned. “Ok, look, yes I knew. But I didn’t realize that he’s the same Luffy that Ace told me about until like a week after I met you guys, and at that point it would’ve been awkward to bring it up.”

“I find it hard to believe a rubbery idiot named Luffy is so hard to remember right away,” Nami said dryly.

Beside her, Ace snorted with laughter. “Good to see you haven’t changed,” he said fondly, ruffling her hair. “Not to change the subject, but I’m starving. Y’all got any food?”

“I can whip up a lunch real quick,” Sanji offered with a smile. “Got any requests? You’re the guest of honor, after all.”

“Meat.”

“Yes, meat!” Luffy hollered.

Zoro snorted. “If there were any doubts that those two are brothers, they’re gone now.”

Everyone burst into laughter as they settled in. Sanji headed to the kitchen to start cooking, and the rest of them lowered the sails and sent the ship out towards their next stop in Alabasta.

—-

The partying lasted four solid hours, with food and drink galore. The only thing missing was music, though Luffy spent twenty solid minutes telling Ace about his plans to find and recruit a musician. Ace, for his part, was incredibly proud of how far Luffy had come in just a few short months.

Eventually, things calmed down a bit, and conversation turned into planning. Ace told them how he was on the trail of someone called Blackbeard, so he couldn’t stay and help them take down Crocodile for Vivi, but for a while at least he could travel alongside them; at least until his path diverged from theirs.

An hour later, everyone was finally winding down and heading to bed. Zoro climbed up into the crow’s nest for the night watch, and Kitty finally found a moment to get Ace to herself. 

They sat on the edge of the stern, close enough for their shoulders to brush and their knees to bump. The two of them were quiet for several minutes, just enjoying each other’s company after so long apart.

“I missed you,” Kitty said, breaking the silence. “You look good.”

“So do you. You’ve gotten even more tan since I saw you last.”

“Tell me about Blackbeard.”

Ace sighed, the smile slipping from his face. “He was my responsibility, and he killed one of my friends. I have to find him and bring him to justice.”

“ _ Ace _ .”

He cringed a bit at her tone. After knowing him as well as she did, she was able to see through his bullshitting as if it weren’t there at all, and he knew it. “I’m not a captain anymore,” he admitted. “I joined Whitebeard’s crew, he made me the commander of his Second Division. Blackbeard was in that division, and killed our crew mate, Thatch, over a Devil Fruit.” Here, his expression hardened. “I was his commander, he’s my responsibility. I  _ will _ bring him in.”

“Ace, I’m not questioning your motives or responsibility,” Kitty said quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me you joined under another crew?”

“I...I didn’t want to disappoint you. I know the deal was you’d get your parents free and then catch up to me, but I can’t be your captain anymore.”

Kitty shook her head. “You think that’s what matters to me? Yeah, you were my captain, but first and foremost you’re my  _ best friend.” _ She entwined their fingers. “I love you. Whether you’re a captain or a commander, it makes no difference to me.”

Ace blinked at her for a second before laughing aloud. “God, you’re incredible,” he said warmly. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

As they sat and watched the starlight ripple over the gentle ocean waves, Kitty thought to herself that even though her soulmate had died years ago, maybe things were working out alright after all.


	3. Revelation

Ace traveled with them over the course of the next week. They’d docked the Merry and headed inland on foot, braving the sands to reach the capitol to face Crocodile and save Vivi’s kingdom. As they went, the Straw Hats peppered Ace with questions about his and Luffy’s upbringing, and about his and Kitty’s adventures together while they were on the same crew. He also told them about how he was part of the Whitebeard crew now, and told them about some of his adventures with “Pop”, as he affectionately called the Emperor of the Sea.

On the second day together, he officially asked Kitty to join the Whitebeard crew with him. He’d told Whitebeard all about her and her abilities, and the Emperor had given permission for her to join if she wished, on Ace’s word that she’d be a valuable addition to the crew. 

Kitty was incredibly touched, and she’d have been lying if she’d said she wasn’t tempted to follow her old captain. But, at the same time…

The Straw Hat crew, especially Luffy, immediately (loudly) voiced their disagreement and disapproval of the idea. Luffy looked ready to cry at the idea of her leaving.

“Aren’t we friends?” he demanded. “We’ve done tons of cool stuff together! Do you really wanna leave us?”

“That’s not it at all,” Kitty said hastily. “It’s not you guys-”

Kitty found herself reluctant to say goodbye to her new friends. In a few short months, they’d already been through so much together, and she didn’t want to let go of this feeling. It felt like having a family, just like the Spades had been.

In the end, Kitty had requested she be allowed time to consider it. Ace easily agreed, saying he’d ask again before he left the group, and that he wouldn’t hold it against her if she refused his offer. “I’m not gonna rush you, it’s a big decision,” he said. “But don’t worry, I’m not leaving for a while yet.”

—-

Finally, the time came for Ace to say goodbye to Luffy and the Straw Hat crew. All eyes turned to Kitty, waiting for her decision.

“Ace,” she started to say. Words failed her, but Ace nodded in understanding. 

“I know,” he said gently.

“Are you sure?”

Ace set his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. I know it’s hard to just jump in under a whole new captain. I want you to be happy, wherever you go.”

Kitty hugged him tightly, hiding her welling tears in his neck. “I’m gonna miss you,” she muttered.

Ace kissed her cheek before releasing her. “I’ll always find you again if you need me. And we have each other’s Vivre card.”

“I’ll be using it to keep an eye on you, so don’t go do any stupid shit,” she teased. Ace laughed aloud.

“Please, when have I ever done stupid shit?”

“Every day that I have known you, ever.”

“Alright, you got me there. I’ll see you again, I promise.” To Luffy, he said, “I want you to take care of her. Kitty’s one of the most badass people I know, but especially if she joins your crew, I want you to watch out for her.”

“Well duh,” Luffy replied. “That’s what we’ve  _ been _ doing.”

With one last meaningful glance at Kitty, Ace gave them all a lazy salute before turning and sauntering away. Another minute, and he’d disappeared into the sand-dunes and hazy heat lines in the air.

\---

Unsurprisingly, Luffy asked her (again) to join his crew once it was clear she wasn’t joining Ace’s new crew. But again, Kitty refused him.

“It’s not that I don’t want to join your crew,” she told the frowning Luffy. “I just...need to think about things, okay?”

“Fine,” he huffed. “But I’m gonna keep asking. You’re not on his crew anymore so that can’t keep you from joining now.”

“You’re nothing if not persistent.”

“If you’re not gonna join our crew, but you’re not gonna go with Ace either, you don’t need to keep sailing with us,” Zoro interrupted. “The agreement was we’d take you to the Grand Line and try to find your captain. We have. Accept Luffy’s offer, or find someone else to sail with. We’re not a pleasure ship.”

“Hey, that’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?” Chopper said hesitantly.

“No, he’s right,” Kitty said. To Luffy, she said, “I’m not completely rejecting the offer. Can I have until we kick Crocodile’s ass to decide?”

“Yeah. After that, you join my crew!” Luffy said firmly.

—-

That ended up being exactly what happened. By the time Crocodile had been brought down and exposed for the evil bastard he was, Kitty had decided: this is where she fit in now. The Straw Hats were her friends; she could rely on them, and they relied on her. This is where she  _ belonged _ . The whole crew was delighted she finally said yes, and there was a celebration on board the Merry even as they fled the marines and bid a subtle but heartfelt goodbye to princess Vivi.

Three whole islands passed by before Kitty heard anything about Ace. First, Kitty faced an even more powerful version of her own Devil Fruit power in Eneru. Then, they headed to Water 7 for repairs to the Merry, and were dealt the deep internal wound of learning the Merry could not be saved, and the falling out between Luffy and Usopp over it. After that, they banded back together just long enough to go save Robin from herself at Enies Lobby, ending with a reconciliation between Usopp and the rest of the Straw Hats as they sailed away on their new ship, the Thousand Sunny. They were closely pursued by none other than Luffy’s grandpa, a Vice Admiral of all people.

Of course, the best thing to come out of it were their new bounties. Luffy had been upgraded to 300 million, while Kitty’s had been raised to 150 million. Naturally, everyone agreed the new, better bounties were a cause for celebration, so Sanji prepared a feast and drinks. 

An hour into the partying, Kitty stopped cold. Something was wrong. She clasped her hand over her chest, where she could feel a deep, burning ache.

“Kitty, are you okay?” Nami’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she looked up to find everyone looking at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you eat too much?” Chopper asked. “I’ve got some antacids that might help you.”

Kitty shook her head. “Something’s wrong,” she rasped. “Really wrong.”

Another, harsher flash of pain flashed deep in her chest, this time along with a sinking feeling of dread. Something was  _ very _ wrong. She sagged in her seat, barely registering Sanji and Usopp hurrying over to her side. They propped her up between them and half-carried her towards Chopper’s office, even as her vision flickered and dimmed.

\---

“I don’t understand it!” Chopper frowned anxiously down at his notes. Kitty had passed out before they so much as hit the stairs, and now was asleep on one of the cots in the hospital room. Aside from Franky who’d stayed at the helm, the rest of the crew had cramped itself into the tiny room to find out what had happened. “I gave her a thorough examination. As far as I can tell, she’s in perfect health. She’s not injured, she hasn’t eaten anything that could’ve caused a reaction like this.”

“Then why did she pass out?” Usopp asked.

“I don’t  _ know.  _ Her body’s acting like it’s got a severe injury, but I can’t find anything anywhere that would explain it,” Chopper said. 

“I don’t like it,” Sanji growled. “There has to be a reason for this.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her and let you guys know if anything changes,” Chopper sighed. “For now, I’m going to let her sleep. It’s the only thing I can think to do.

\---

When Kitty finally woke up, she almost wished she hadn’t.  _ Everything _ hurt, and she shook as if with a fever. She shifted a bit, and Chopper was immediately at her side. “Kitty, you’re awake! How do you feel?” he fretted.

“Like shit,” she groaned. “What the hell happened?”

“Well...I don’t know. You passed out, and your body is acting like you were in a bad fight and got really hurt. But as far as I can see, you’re perfectly fine. I don’t understand it.”

Kitty sat upright, rubbing at her throbbing temple. That’s right, they’d been celebrating their new bounties when she’d started to feel ill. After that...it was all just a dim blur. Surely she hadn’t had  _ that _ much to drink. 

Chopper was chattering again, but Kitty wasn’t listening. Her eyes had fallen upon a blotchy scar on the back of her hand, one that hadn’t been there before she’d fainted. “Chopper, did you do anything to my hand here?” she said abruptly, interrupting his rambling.

“Huh? No, I haven’t.”

“Did I scrape my hand when I fell down?”

“No, Sanji and Usopp were carrying you, so you didn’t actually fall. Why?”

Her heartbeat pounded in her throat, and she swallowed it down. This wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t.

“Kitty, what’s-”

Kitty leapt to her feet. She immediately staggered, but caught herself on the bed frame.

“Hey, lay back down! You’re still ill!”

She ignored him and stumbled out of Chopper’s office, with the tiny doctor trailing behind. The rest of the crew were gathered on the deck, and they looked up as Kitty somehow managed to go down the stairs without falling again.

“Kitty, are you feeling better?” Nami called.

“What happened? You still don’t look too good,” Luffy added.

“Look,” Kitty rasped, pointing at the new scar on the back of her hand. “Look!”

The crew gathered around, peering at the fingertip-sized scar. “I don’t get it,” Usopp admitted. “What’s so special about it?”

“It wasn’t there before,” Kitty said slowly. “It wasn’t anything that happened to  _ me.” _

“And?” Luffy said.

It was Zoro who realized it first. “Soulmate,” he said quietly. “It’s your soulmate.”

Robin frowned slightly. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say your soulmate died?” she pointed out.

“I had thought so,” Kitty said. Her legs finally gave out from under her, and she sank down into the grass of the deck. Chopper pulled on his stethoscope, and began listening to her heartbeat and breathing. She ignored his muttered scoldings about getting out of bed while she was still ill. “I can’t believe it.”

“Is it possible you’re wrong?” Nami said. “I’m not saying you’re lying, but lots of people get little injuries without realizing. Maybe you scraped your hand without noticing, and only just now spotted the scar?”

“We do live rough lives,” Sanji agreed.

“No, it’s not that,” Kitty argued. “I  _ know _ this is from my soulmate. They’re out there somewhere,  _ alive.” _


	4. Soulmate

Wherever Kitty’s soulmate was, whatever they were doing, they were not having a good time. Fresh scars appeared on her skin almost hourly, and she remained weak and nauseous. Chopper confirmed it was nothing on her end - she was eating properly, and they hadn’t seen another ship or island for days, let alone gotten in any kind of fight - but the soulmate bond was something science still didn’t understand. Scars were transferred, bruises occasionally, and on rare occurrences, one could feel strong emotions or even thoughts from their soulmate.

All in all, it left her uneasy as hell. 

Fortunately - or unfortunately, she wasn’t sure - she wasn’t given much time to think about it. They ended up taking a detour on their way to Fishman Island, where they met as interesting a cast of characters as they ever have before. Kitty still wasn’t back up to full strength, so she struggled with some of the fighting, but in the end they were successful, as always.

They even managed to recruit a new crewmember, a living skeleton with musical talents, and swordsmanship skills that impressed even Zoro. Or they had, after Zoro had taken on the warlord Bartholemew Kuma, and ended up deathly wounded. What exactly had happened, nobody was quite sure, but everyone was happy to be alive and reunited with their shadows.

Aside from Kitty still feeling weak and achy, thanks to her mysterious soulmate and whatever bullshit they were dealing with, things were going just fine. Zoro was still unconscious, but was no longer in any danger. Brook officially joined the crew. Zoro found a new sword. Luffy was inexplicably recovered from all his wounds from the fighting of the past day or so. Still, she couldn’t shake the lingering sense of dread deep in her gut, especially when she continued receiving small scars and bruises from her soulmate.

Whoever they were, they were in deep trouble. 

\---

Kitty did her best to push it from her mind, and was successful for one whole day before her world came crashing down on her once more. Nami’s new friend Lola had given them her Vivre card, and was explaining how they worked. Luffy pulled out Ace’s Vivre card to compare, only to find the card was smouldering as if slowly burning.

The rest of the Straw Hats looked confused, but Kitty’s stomach clenched painfully. She didn’t need Lola’s brief explanation to know what exactly was going on. She waited, however, until they’d set sail and were pointed back at open sea before she confronted Luffy.

“Luffy, we need to go help Ace.” She didn’t care if she sounded bossy or desperate.

He gave her a brief frown. “Why?”

“Because he’s in danger? Why else?”

“Ace has been in trouble plenty of times before,” Luffy said confidently. “He doesn’t need me jumping up every time he gets hurt. He hates anyone seeing him when he’s weak.”

“I know that, and I know he can handle himself, but something feels genuinely wrong here,” Kitty argued. “I’m worried as hell. Lola didn’t say that he was just in trouble, she said his  _ life _ was burning away. That’s not something we should throw away on account of his pride. Please.”

Luffy sighed. “The card shrinks when its owner is weakened, right? It’ll go back to regular size when he gets better. Whenever that happens, we’ll go see him, so you can see for yourself that he’s okay.”

Kitty frowned. “I don’t like it.”

“Ace is invincible. He’ll be fine.”

“I hope you’re right.”

\---

Three days passed relatively quietly. Kitty had hidden herself away up in the crow’s nest, trying to keep her mind off things with some yoga. Every pose hurt like hell, but she kept it up until her muscles trembled and sweat coated her skin. Chopper had given her some painkillers, but the lingering pain from her soulmate refused to die down. If she weren’t so preoccupied with Ace, it might have bothered her more.

She breathed out slowly, bending until she grasped her foot, bent in half on the floor. Robin had showed her some positions, and while it didn’t make her physically feel better, it at least distracted her mind a bit.

She understood Luffy’s position on the matter, she really did. Hell, she’d been in the same situation before. Ace had gotten himself - and her - into some real shit many times, and had refused help until he fixed the problem himself. That bullheadedness, along with his refusal to back down in the face of danger, had gotten the both into trouble more times than she could count. This didn’t mean, however, that she liked anything about this, at all.

Even as her thoughts lingered on Ace, another scar slashed open across her thigh, making her wince. “Shit,” she hissed. “Stupid goddamn soulmate, not letting me  _ think. _ Who the hell do you think you are.”

Or, maybe these many overlapping wounds were affecting her more than she thought. It was hard to focus on anything for an extended period of time when it felt like she was being slowly tortured to death.

A knock at the trapdoor pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Nami coming inside with a newspaper and a grim expression. “What is it?” Kitty said wearily.

“I thought you should see this,” Nami said, holding out the newspaper. Kitty stood and took it from her, giving her friend a wary glance before unfolding the paper.

Honestly, she had to read the headliner four times before it finally sunk in. And when it did, her legs wobbled so violently under her that Nami immediately pushed her down onto one of the benches lining the walls.

“They can’t,” Kitty whispered. “They can’t do this.”

“The Navy has him, they can do whatever they want,” Nami said somberly. “They’re going to make an example of him for all pirates with the execution.”

Kitty skimmed the article, which detailed Ace’s capture and imprisonment in the government prison Impel Down. She knew just how awful that place was, she’d heard all about it growing up. If Ace was there, living through that torture…

She shuddered. Based on the date of this, he’d been dealing with it for nearly a week now.

Another scar interrupted her thoughts, slicing into life along her collarbone. “Fuck!” Kitty groaned. “Is this ever gonna end? It’s been going on for almost a week straight!”

Nami frowned as if a thought occurred to her. “Kitty, when did this first start happening again?”

“I don’t know. Five days? Six?”

“And when was Ace captured?”

She had to look at the article again to be sure. “Six days ago.”

Nami stared at her. Kitty raised an eyebrow, not getting what Nami was clearly trying to communicate. 

“What?” Kitty said peevishly.

“Oh my god, you’re worse than Luffy!” Nami grabbed the newspaper and swatted Kitty with it repeatedly. “Do the math! Ace was captured six days ago! You started hurting six days ago! You have a brain, presumably, so  _ use it!” _

“Agh! Stop- hitting- me-!” Kitty tried to block the blows, unsuccessfully. “I don’t understand what you’re-”

The realization hit at the exact moment Nami raised the newspaper for another blow. At Kitty’s dumbfounded expression, however, she paused. “Finally!” she exclaimed. “You really  _ are _ dumb as hell.”

“Oh my god,” Kitty whispered. “Oh...my god.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m terribly surprised,” Nami sighed. She sat on the bench next to her, glancing over the execution announcement again. “What a mess. What are you gonna do?”

“I...I don’t know,” Kitty said dazedly. “I can’t believe it.  _ Ace _ is my soulmate?”

“Better than someone like Zoro,” Nami said dryly. “The execution is in eleven days.  _ What are you going to do?” _

Kitty blinked. Finally, it felt as if the fog in her brain was clearing, and the path ahead was becoming visible. “I’m going to save him,” she said firmly. “I don’t give a damn about his pride, I’m not about to let him die. Soulmate or no.”

Nami smiled in approval. “Luffy won’t sit still, not when he hears it’s an execution, not just capture. Don’t worry,” she added, setting a hand on Kitty’s shoulder. “We’re definitely going to save him.”

“Good, because he and I need to talk.”


	5. The Night Before

Deep in the bowels of Impel Down, there was a faint rattling of chains as Ace stirred. Every fiber in his body hurt like shit, and when he moved, dried blood cracked and flaked off his skin. As far as he could tell, nothing of his dim and damp surroundings had changed, and yet, something felt  _ different. _

“What is it?”

The familiar rumble of Jinbe’s deep voice echoed off the cold stones. Ace squinted a bit, experimentally flexing his hands where they were chained, above and just behind him in an extraordinarily uncomfortable position.

“I don’t know,” Ace finally muttered. “Just a gut feeling.”

He didn’t have the words to properly describe it - and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have voiced it - but for the first time since Blackbeard had thoroughly defeated him, an electric spark of hope and determination had lit deep within him. Whatever the reason, it made the darkness of his cell seem just that much less oppressive.

—-

“We’ve got eleven days before the execution,” Kitty said. The entire crew had gathered in the galley, with papers and maps spread over the table. “According to the news article, Ace is going to be taken from Impel Down and transferred to Marineford for the execution. We have enough time to reach either Marineford  _ or _ Impel Down, not both.”

The minute Luffy had seen the news article, he’d wanted to rush off immediately, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed. He’d finally agreed that they needed to make a plan, and not jump out into it half cocked.

“Why don’t we just break into the prison?” Zoro said bluntly. “Just kill everyone in our path and bust him out?”

Kitty shook her head. “You haven’t heard about Warden Magellan,” she said. “He ate a Devil Fruit, he’s a poison logia. There’s a reason he’s been trusted to watch over the world’s most dangerous criminals.”

“What if we could avoid him?” Robin suggested. “We could be stealthy.”

“They’ve probably got that place loaded with surveillance snails,” Nami said. “But that’s just a guess.”

“Okay, well, if the prison is so well defended, why don’t we just grab him when they move him?” Usopp asked. “We won’t have to fight this Magellan guy in that case.”

“You don’t think they’re gonna put him in an armada to move him? We’re just one ship, we can only do so much,” Franky argued. “The Sunny is  _ super _ well built, but even she can’t take on a marine fleet alone.”

“Besides, there’s the fact of the Gates of Justice and the whirlpool they surround,” Robin added. “Once they’re inside, they’re out of our reach. The only entrance without risking annihilation by the whirlpool is those gates, and those are under marine control. We can’t open them without someone on the inside. We could go around, but it would take significantly longer.”

“So we get someone on the inside,” Luffy said firmly. “There’s lots of pirates inside the prison, right? We get one of them to open the gates for us.”

“Oh sure, we’ll ask them when they capture us when we try to break in,” Sanji snorted. “Maybe they’ll bunk us with Ace, save us the trouble.”

Kitty frowned down at the maps and newspapers strewn across the table. Around her, her friends continued arguing, but she tuned them out as she watched a new scar slowly embedding itself across one of her palms. Ace was being  _ tortured  _ while they went around in these circular arguments. They had to  _ move _ .

“What about Whitebeard?” Zoro said. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s not gonna sit by and let one of his top commanders be executed without a fight.”

“Whitebeard is one of the four Emperors of the sea,” Nami said. “If he shows up with his fleet at Impel Down or Marineford, then that fight is gonna be more like a war.”

Uneasy silence settled over the galley. “You think that’s the Marines’ plan all along?” Sanji said.

“Who cares!” Luffy stood and slapped his hands down onto the table. “We’re going to save him, I don’t care how we do it.”

“What if,” Kitty said slowly, “we joined Whitebeard?”

There was only a split second of disbelieving silence before everybody burst out talking, all rejecting the idea outright.

“Hey no wait, I didn’t mean join his crew,” Kitty said hastily. “I know Luffy would never work under anybody ever. I mean we  _ ally _ with him. If anybody has a chance of taking on the entirety of the Marines and winning, it’s an emperor of the sea.”

“It could work,” Sanji said thoughtfully.

“We partner up, save Ace, say thanks and go on our own way.” Usopp nodded. “Less chance of us getting killed if we show up with a big name pirate like that.”

“What do you think, Luffy?” Zoro said.

Their captain squinted at the maps thoughtfully. “I’m not going to join under him,” he announced. “And I fully intend on taking him down. As pirates, we’re rivals for the One Piece. But to save Ace, we’ll ally.”

With that decision made, a new sense of purpose settled over the crew. At least, until Robin voiced a question they’d neglected to consider.

“So how does one  _ find _ an Emperor of the sea?”

—-

It turns out, the answer to that question was “not easily”. Whether it was just the nature of things, or if it were because he was preparing for war, Whitebeard was nowhere to be found. They even lucked out and ran into one of the islands that he’d claimed as part of his territory, and  _ still _ nobody knew where he was.

“It’s frustrating, but I’m not surprised,” Nami sighed. “If he could evade the world government for decades, how is one pirate crew supposed to find him in a few days?”

“Luffy, we can’t wait any longer,” Kitty said urgently. “We can reach Marineford in time for the execution, but we have to leave _ now _ . Whitebeard will be there, everyone’s saying the marines are preparing for all out war. We get there, wait for him to show up, then we bust in and kick ass to save Ace.”

Luffy nodded. “Okay! Let’s go to Marineford!”

—-

The voyage to Marineford would take just over nine days, since they wouldn’t have access to the government-owned whirlpool that connected the three Gates of Justice at Marineford, Impel Down, and Enies Lobby, and would have to sail around. That left them a worryingly slim time cushion, but Franky had said he was going to spend the whole time getting as much speed out of the Sunny as he could, and overall preparing for a rough fight.

“Luckily, there’s plenty of cola in storage,” the shipwright added. “But I’d suggest we save that for after the rescue. Something tells me we’re gonna need it for our escape.”

“Agreed,” Brook chimed in. “No doubt the Marines will have their strongest forces there, including admirals. This will not be an easily won fight.”

“I’ll feel better whenever Whitebeard shows,” Kitty muttered. “No doubt he’s got some tricks up his sleeve.”

“We’ll be ready,” Luffy said confidently. “We’re gonna save Ace! And then eat lots and lots of food! And then go to Fishman Island! Sanji! I’m hungry!”

—-

The night before they were due to arrive at Marineford, there was a kind of nausea-inducing tension that gripped the entire ship. The lack of usual snoring told Kitty that she wasn’t the only one lying awake in bed. After two hours of trying and failing to get to sleep, Kitty slipped out of bed and headed up to the crow’s nest.

Apparently it hadn’t been an original idea. Zoro was up there, sat on a bench and staring out the window pensively. He looked up when Kitty popped up at the trapdoor, and nodded in greeting. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“Afraid not.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. Tomorrow’s going to be hell, even if everything goes to plan,” Zoro said. Kitty sat on the next bench over and hugged her knees up to her chest. “How’re you feeling?”

She paused for a moment to consider. The aches and scars had stopped three days ago, but that likely just meant Ace was on the transport to Marineford, not that anything had happened yet. The execution wasn’t set till tomorrow, after all. Still… “Physically I’m fine,” she said after a moment. “Mentally...I could be better. We can’t afford to fail here.”

“We’ve been in lots of sticky situations but have always pulled through,” Zoro said confidently. “This one will be tough as hell, but I’ve got faith in this crew.”

“Faith, you? Here I thought you were a strictly worldly man,” Kitty teased half heartedly. He snorted.

“That’s true, but what I said stands.” He stretched and yawned. “Look, I know you’re anxious as shit about this, and that you especially have a lot to lose here. We’re not gonna stand by and let them kill Ace, okay? Luffy would die himself before he let some marine kill his brother.”

Kitty squinted at him a bit. Aside from Nami, none of them knew that Ace was Kitty’s soulmate. Right? “Did you talk to Nami about all this?”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “We’re not all as dense as Luffy. I know Ace is your soulmate. The stupid cook knows but is probably trying to pretend otherwise for his own sake. Robin and Franky know. I don’t know about Chopper and Usopp though.”

She blinked rapidly. “Oh. Am I that obvious?”

“Yes,” Zoro said amusedly. “We’re not making fun of you. I’m almost jealous; my soulmate died when I was a kid. I’d give more than I want to admit to have them back. You’re lucky.”

“Oh. I didn’t know, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, you ought to at least try to sleep. You’ll need the rest.”

Kitty nodded, then stood and headed back towards the trapdoor back to the deck below. She paused before opening it. “Hey, Zoro?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

He blinked at her, then gave a slow smile. “That’s what  _ nakama _ are for.”


	6. Jumping In

The next morning found Kitty wide awake much earlier than she’d have liked. The horizon was still in the soft pinks and purples of pre-dawn, and a light fog floated on the sea when Kitty came above deck. She wasn’t the only one awake already. Usopp, Sanji, Robin, Brook, and Chopper were already up, and we’re having a subdued breakfast around the mast-table on deck. Kitty sat down and picked at the ham and toast on her plate while her friends chatted quietly. Soon enough, they were joined by the rest of the crew, all both eager and anxious for this day to be over with. 

Unsurprisingly, the waters surrounding Marineford were crawling with patrol ships. Only the fog kept them from being immediately spotted and shot down as they crept ever closer.

“That’s over an armada’s worth of ships,” Kitty breathed. Sure enough, Marineford’s bay was surrounded by marine battleships, and from what little Usopp could see with his binocular goggles, the plaza was quickly filling up with marines too.

“They’ve got giants!” Usopp stage whispered. “Four of them! How are we supposed to take on giants!?”

Luffy cracked his knuckles. “I’m not scared of giants.”

“We can’t take all this on alone,” Nami frowned. “That’s the whole reason we’re gonna fight with Whitebeard, since he’ll have the manpower to do this.”

“Assuming he shows,” Brook said. “We’ve got a lot riding on a very big ‘maybe’.”

“He’ll show,” Kitty said confidently. “He’s an Emperor, he won’t let the government make such a huge deal out of the execution of his 2nd best commander, and just lay down and take it.”

Nami glanced at her watch. “The execution is scheduled in one hour. Whitebeard had better show soon.”

The Straw Hats settled in for the longest wait of their lives. Usopp let Kitty borrow his goggles, which she kept trained on the plaza. Now that the sun was starting to burn some of the fog away, she could see the execution platform that had been built just for this. It was still empty, though that did little to lessen the dread that painfully clenched her stomach.

_ Ace, we’re coming for you, _ she thought to herself. Maybe if she thought it hard enough, he’d feel it.  _ We’re going to save you. _

Whether or not he felt the message, she wouldn’t find out. In the distance, she spotted movement behind the platform. Three people were slowly walking along the path towards the platform, the two on the outside carrying long bladed staves and clearly guarding the shirtless man in the center.

_ Ace. _

“It’s time,” Kitty croaked. The entire crew jumped to their feet at her words. Even Luffy looked apprehensive, but they all leapt to action, preparing the ship to sail over to the harbor as fast as possible. Kitty skimmed her gaze over the waters around Marineford’s bay. There were no other ships...where the hell was Whitebeard?

“They’re taking him to the platform,” Usopp said nervously. “Cutting it a little close, aren’t we?”

“I’m not going to let them kill Ace,” Luffy said in a low voice. “We go  _ now.” _

“About damn time,” Kitty said.

“Now  _ wait _ just a minute,” Nami said, “if we jump in half cocked then we will all die. You can’t become king of the pirates if you’re dead.”

“Then I won’t die!” Luffy exclaimed. “Come on, we’re going now! Captain’s orders!”

“Shit,” Zoro groaned. Captain’s orders… On the average day to day, it was safe to say that Zoro, Nami, and Sanji ran the ship, especially when it came to navigation and the like. But when push came to shove, and Luffy issued an actual, real order, that was the one thing they couldn’t deny.

The sails snapped open and the ship jerked forward, pulling free of the final lingering fog. The faint wail of sirens echoed across the water - they’d been spotted. “There’s no turning back now,” Robin said quietly. 

—-

Ace kept his eyes trained down on the rough wood platform upon which he knelt. He wasn’t so much afraid to die, as he was afraid of the war that was likely about to break out. He wasn’t stupid, he knew Whitebeard was coming to save him. But doing so would unleash a war the likes of which had never been seen. Who knows how many people - innocents, his friends - would die? One life wasn’t worth it, especially not  _ his. _

He’d done his damnedest to live a life without regrets, and for the most part he’d succeeded. There were just two things he’d regret seeing go unfinished: he’d never see Luffy become King of the Pirates, and he’d never see Kitty again. God, he knew the news of his death would likely break her. She was tough as hell in a fight, but underneath, her heart was as fragile as a newborn bird.

At least she was far away from here. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to march headfirst into the marine’s stronghold just to save him.

An alarm blared, jerking him from his thoughts. Ace’s stare jumped to the sea - was Whitebeard already here? No, it was only one small ship, not the gargantuan vessel Whitebeard commanded. Ace squinted; there was a Jolly Roger painted on the sail, but it was too far for him to make out.

“It’s Straw Hat Luffy! It’s the Straw Hats!”

“What’s  _ he _ doing here?”

The cry of the marines far below him turned his blood cold.  _ No! _ They couldn’t be here. They  _ shouldn’t  _ be here, they weren’t strong enough, they’d die if they fought Akainu and Aokiji and Kizaru!

Still, Luffy’s ship - it was bigger than he remembered, with a different figurehead but still sporting the same skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat - sailed ever closer. Even Luffy wasn’t so stupid to take on all of the world government with  _ one ship.  _ Right?

“Get away,” Ace whispered. “Please, run while you can. I’m not worth it.”

—-

Two warships pulled away from the huge concrete bay and headed towards them. Kitty drew her sword - the one Ace had given her years ago - and twirled it anxiously. “Here they come.”

The ships had drawn close, maybe fifty meters outside of cannon range, before a second, louder, more obnoxious siren bounced over the water. They all looked past the marine warships - and the marines aboard turned to look as well - to see the water in the bay riotously bubbling and churning. Something  _ big  _ was coming up.

Whatever it was, the warships decided it was the priority over the Sunny. They turned and headed back, the marines aboard scrambling to load the cannons.

“Looks like the Emperor has arrived,” Franky called from the helm. For a moment, the warships blocked their view of the bay. Then, their path was clear - and not one, not two, but FOUR impossibly massive vessels had appeared within the bay, all of them identical and carved to mimic the appearance of whales breaching the surf. That ship was unmistakable.

“Whitebeard,” Kitty said softly. “Thank god.”

“COME ON, LET’S GOOO!” Luffy hollered. “Franky! Full speed ahead! We’re gonna save Ace and kick some ass!”

“Aye aye!”

The ship surged forward, picking up speed as it barreled towards Marineford. Already they could hear the shouting of the fighters and the changing of swords. Occasionally, an explosion rocked the plaza, and smoke was already rising. Just like everyone had predicted, it was absolute unstoppable mayhem. And things were just getting started.


	7. Gone

Zoro had been right - this was hell. The air was thick with smoke and the smell of blood, and the shouting and explosions hurt Kitty’s ears. Whitebeard’s crew was intimidatingly good, especially Marco - it was easy to see why he was second only to Whitebeard himself. 

On top of that, dozens of New-World pirate ships had shown up as backup, leading to hundreds of thousands of marines and pirates struggling to gain the upper hand both on land and on the sea.

The marines pushed back against the pirates just as hard as the pirates pushed forward. Kitty fought tooth and nail. Aokiji’s Ice had left the entire plaza slick with water, so she simultaneously had an advantage and handicap: it was easier to electrocute the marines, but just as easy to electrocute her allies. Luffy, at least, was immune. She could hear him shouting Ace’s name and beating the hell out of everyone who dared get in his way. 

Even worse than the stench of blood and the sick feeling of sinking her blades into her enemies’ flesh over and over, was the sound of Ace’s anguished cries as he watched his friends fall. She couldn’t see him right this second, but if his expression was anywhere near as heartbreaking as his voice tone, she was almost glad she couldn’t see him.

She saw her friends once in a while, at leas. A few seconds passed where she and Zoro fought back to back. Nami whipped up a Thundercloud Tempo which Kitty took and added her own power to, knocking down a hundred men. A hulking marine went after Usopp, and Kitty jerked him out of the way by the straps of his overalls.

Even the Warlords had stepped into the complete chaos. Bartholemew Kuma was particularly dangerous. On top of his explosive Paw Paw Devil Fruit, he could apparently shoot goddamn  _ lasers _ out of his mouth. He was taking down just as many pirates as the pirates did marines.

Things were so bad even Whitebeard had stepped into the fray. Though arguably, Whitebeard was the cause of most of it. Whatever the hell his Devil Fruit was, it was literally earth-shattering; the sea floor split and tilted around the island, and basically everybody lost their footing as the ground shook and tilted underneath their feet.

Between all of that, the defensive walls surrounding the bay, the cannon fire from the encircling walls, and Akainu raining down flaming balls of magma so hot they not only melted the ice, but made the bay water  _ boil _ , things were looking very, very,  _ very _ bad. Their available footing was quickly shrinking; the ice melted nearly as fast as Aokiji had created it, and two of the four main Whitebeard ships were completely demolished. One of the other two caught ablaze as she watched.

A flash of blue flame caught her eye, and she looked over to see Marco struggling against Aokiji. Flame against ice...Marco was holding his own for the moment, but as focused as he was, he didn’t see what Kitty did - a marine creeping up behind him, with a pair of handcuffs. She knew it was sea prism stone, could feel it in her soul.

“Marco, behind you!” she shouted.

Marco glanced behind him, and she saw him spot the sea prism stone cuffs, but pinned down by Aokiji as he was, he couldn’t do anything.

The marine screamed as lightning arced from Kitty’s outstretched hand, and the cuffs hit the ground with a clank. Kitty scooped them up by the chain with the tip of her sword and hurled them as far away as she could.

“Thanks!” Marco called. “I owe you one!”

“Help me save Ace and I’ll call it even,” Kitty replied, even as she resumed fighting her way towards the platform that held Ace. She could see him now, kneeling, watching them all with wide eyes and a distraught expression. Even this she could feel it the moment he locked eyes with her.

_ I’m coming for you. I won’t let you die here. _

A collective shouting distracted her, and she turned in time to see Akainu pulling back from a blow. He’d been fighting Whitebeard one-on-one, and had apparently landed a mortal blow on the Emperor. Whitebeard was still on his feet, but was bleeding heavily from a deep, gaping wound directly in the middle of his chest. The marines gave a collective cheer; the pirates, a collective groan of dismay.

“Fuck,” Kitty breathed. For Akainu to be so strong that even Whitebeard took a blow like this...the Admiral was so much stronger than she’d ever imagined. Could they really make it out of this?

Kitty narrowly dodged yet another of Kuma’s searing light beams in time to hear Luffy’s triumphant holler. Her head whipped around to stare at the platform - some kind of bridge had been raised from the plaza all the way to the top, and _ Luffy had made it. _

“About damn time!” Zoro called from somewhere off to the side. Several seconds passed before anything happened - and when it did, it was  _ explosive. _ Sengoku, who’d been guarding Ace the entire time, transformed into a giant golden Buddha in an attempt to crush Ace and Luffy right then and there. The marines around them fired off multiple concussive cannon shots, and the entire crumbling platform went up in a massive column of flames and smoke.

One, two, three heartbeats passed while every single soul there waited with bated breath. Kitty could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She didn’t feel any different...if Ace had died there, she’d have felt it...right?

Then, a feeling of _lightness_ spread through her. It felt as if an oppressive weight had been lifted that she hadn’t known she’d been carrying, and lightning crackled in her fists in response to the surge. A split second before the reveal, she knew exactly what happened.

“AAAAACE!” Kitty bellowed.

As if in response, a ball of red hot fire erupted in the center of the smoke column. In the center stood Ace, blazing with his fire and holding Luffy aloft. “You stupid kid!” Ace shouted, his fiercely proud expression betraying his words. “You’ve never listened to me a day in your life!”

“Why would I start now!?” Luffy shouted back. Even from here, Kitty could hear the relieved tears in his voice.

Every single pirate gave an ecstatic cheer. Somehow, Ace’s sea prism stone cuffs had been removed. The Whitebeard Pirates’ second division commander had been let loose. Kitty shed some tears of her own; they’d done it, they’d pulled him from the marines’ jaws of death.

“Fire-Fist is free!”

“Straw Hat really did it!”

“Ace is saved!”

“Don’t lose your cool!” A marine captain stepped forward, barking orders and snapping the paralyzed marine foot soldiers out of it. “Prepare to fire on them as they land!”

“Fire, you say?”

Ace landed in the middle of the fray in a blazing pillar of fire, blasting away all enemies (and even some allies) within reach. He was dirty and sweaty and bruised, but had that cocky grin she loved so much. Luffy was at his side, wearing a similar, familiar fierce grin.

“ACE!”

Ace turned at the shout, and his grin widened further as Kitty  _ finally _ reached his side. “Kitty!” he exclaimed. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but holy shit, did you really have to enable my little brother to go to one of the most dangerous places on the sea?”

“You really think we’d just kick back while the marines took your head?” Kitty shot back.

Ace shook his head in exasperation. Despite that, she could tell he was sincerely happy to see them - even in the midst of such chaos. “Can you both fight?”

“Heck yeah!” Luffy answered. “Whitebeard and the others helped us get here!”

“Don’t move, pirates!” one of the marines shouted. “This is your execution ground!”

He shouted an order, and the marines pinning them back all fired. The bullets passed straight through Ace in sprays of fire, of course. Kitty stepped behind Luffy in time to avoid the bullets, which stretched comically through his body and even tore holes in the backs of his clothes before ricocheting back.

The marines charged, and the fight began in earnest. Ace and Luffy fought as well together as Ace and Kitty ever did - together, the three of them took down marines quicker than ever. Fire and lightning filled their corner of the plaza, and Luffy bounded through it all absolutely wrecking any marine unfortunate to get in their way.

So caught up in their escape, Kitty didn’t notice a marine wielding a mace closing in on her until it was too late to jump out of the way. His weapon slammed down on her right forearm, and Kitty screamed through gritted teeth as she felt bone break.

Ace swore loudly. He punched the marine in the face with a fist wreathed in flame, making the man scream and fall back, then grabbed Kitty’s unhurt arm to help her keep pace with him and Luffy.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Kitty huffed. “Arm hurts like shit. He broke it.”

“We’ll get you to a doctor once we’re free.” They bolted through a gap in the marines’ forces, and fell back into a grouping of Whitebeard pirates. “Time to leave, I think!” Ace called.

“Agreed!” Luffy answered. The rest of the pirates shouted agreement, and the pirate withdrawal officially began in earnest. The rest of the Straw Hat crew gradually regrouped around them as they all ran. Sanji, Nami, Robin, Brook, Zoro, Franky, Chopper, and Usopp were all dirty and a bit bloodied, but alive and mostly uninjured. “Straw Hats! Back to the Sunny!” Luffy ordered.

“Glad to see you alive!” Zoro called. Ace grinned in response.

“Not for their lack of trying!” he called back.

“So this is how the mighty Whitebeard Pirates behave in a fight?” A booming voice rang out behind them, and Kitty turned to see Akainu standing there. “As soon as you rescue Ace, you all run? What a bunch of cowards you are!”

Beside her, Kitty could feel Ace tense at the insults. “Don’t you dare,” she warned him. Ace didn’t reply, but he did keep running with them. 

“Well, your captain is who he is, so you can’t help it. After all, Whitebeard is just a loser from the old times!” Akainu called.

Ace stopped dead in his tracks. “Ace!” Luffy called. Kitty called his name too, but it fell on deaf ears. 

“A loser?” Ace repeated. Flames burst to life around his clenched fists, ragged and fluttery. Kitty could read his fire as if he were shouting his emotions aloud - the flame only looked like that when he was genuinely close to losing control. His handsome face twisted in fury as he twisted around to glare at the Admiral. “Take that back. Now.”

“Don’t be an idiot, let’s go,” Kitty urged him. She grabbed his arm, but he shook her off without looking at her. “He’s just trying to get under your skin to keep you from running!”

“He mocked Pops,” Ace barked. “I’m not leaving ‘til he takes it back!”

“Take it back?” Akainu repeated. “I’d like to see you try. Your father, Gol D. Roger, at least did what he set out to do. What has Whitebeard done? Made himself a big fish in a little barrell. Only losers settle for something like that.”

With every word Akainu spoke, Ace took a step closer to the admiral, flames flickering higher and higher across his body. Kitty didn’t need the soulmate bond to feel the fury and murderous intent radiating off Ace - she could read it in every line of his body.

Akainu spouted off more insults, but Kitty stopped listening. If they didn’t stop Ace now, he would die. She made to step forward, to grab Ace and drag him back to safety - she’d knock him out herself if she had to, broken arm or no - only to be stopped by the absolutely cataclysmic explosion of Ace and Akainu releasing their full power at the same time.

Ace screamed with rage as he attacked. A blast of furnace-hot air pushed them all back, forcing Kitty to shield her face with her uninjured arm. When she looked back, Ace was facedown on the flagstones.

“Ace!” she cried. Behind her, Luffy and the other pirates echoed her call. 

“He burned Ace!” one of the pirates by her said, terror filling his voice. “How could he burn Ace??”

“Ace get up!” Kitty shouted. “Stand up!”

So focused on Ace were they, Luffy and Kitty didn’t see Akainu move until it was too late. He leapt towards Luffy, fist wreathed in molten lava, arm outstretched to make the killing blow-

The breath rushed out of Kitty at the same moment Ace moved. He’d flung himself between Akainu and Luffy, using himself as a human shield...and Akainu’s still-molten fist protruded from Ace’s chest, ringed in blood and flame.

All the sound around her faded out as Kitty fell to her knees, tasting blood. She pressed her hand to her chest - she could feel the heat, feel internal organs shrivel and burn - except it wasn’t actually happening to her. Ace finally looked at her, blood dripping from his nose and lips, face pale as a sheet underneath the freckles. He mouthed one word:  _ sorry. _

Akainu withdrew his fist, and Ace collapsed into Luffy’s arms. The world spun and tilted wildy as someone scooped Kitty up into their arms and ran. “Hold on, hold on, we’ll get you to Chopper,” Zoro’s tense voice said. Everything sounded as if Kitty were deep, deep underwater. Even though it felt as if every breath were inhaling flames, and her heart fluttered faintly in her chest, Kitty twisted in Zoro’s arms to try and get him to drop her.

“No,” she wheezed. “Ace - we have to go back - please, he’s dying-”

“So are you!” Zoro snapped. “You can’t do him any good now. Luffy will get him out of there and we’ll regroup. Now shut up, you’re going to hurt yourself worse.”

Kitty gasped desperately as darkness pressed in at the corners of her vision. Was she passing out, or was Ace…?

Thunderous explosions stopped the fleeing pirates in their tracks. Before them, stepping out of the dust and smoke, was Bartholemew Kuma. He opened his mouth, and obnoxious yellow light shone forth a split second before he fired off another one of those killer lasers. Zoro was just barely able to jump out of the way with Kitty before the stones they’d stood on a heartbeat before were vaporized.

“Fuck, we have to  _ run,” _ Zoro ground out. “We’re outclassed-”

A scream echoed across the plaza, and they turned to see Nami, sprawled on the ground where she’d been thrown by the explosion. Kuma stood over her, hand extended, and swiped down at her.

With a pop, Nami vanished as if she’d never existed in the first place.

“Nami!” Sanji shouted. He leapt at Kuma, only to be ‘erased’ by the warlord as well.

Dread - absolute dread. Ace was still alive, she could still feel his agony rippling through her, but this was bad. Kuma was pulling out all the stops. Everybody in his path was being erased, friend or foe. Unfortunately, the Straw Hats had all been grouped together, and they were smack in the center of his warpath.

Brook, Usopp, and Chopper were all erased in quick succession. Zoro picked up the pace, clutching Kitty to his chest as he broke into a flat-out sprint. Franky and Robin were gone next. Behind them, the high pitched whine of Kuma’s laser sounded. “Zoro, leave me and go!” Kitty said desperately. She was just slowing him down, and she had to get back to Ace, whose life was about to snuff out -

She felt it at the same time the world exploded around them. She and Zoro went flying, Kitty falling from his grip as they flew, Kitty didn’t feel the heat, didn’t feel her skin redden and burn, didn’t feel her broken arm slam into the ground as she landed on unforgiving stone.

Her link to Ace - the soulmate bond, their friendship, their love, their unspoken connection - was severed.

_ No. _

_ NO! _

Kitty shakily lifted her head in time to watch Kuma erase Zoro with a pop, leaving only a bloodstain in his wake. The warlord’s head turned to zero in on her, and she was helpless to do anything but watch as he approached her. 

“If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you like to go?”

“Does it matter?” Kitty whispered.

With a  _ pop _ , everything turned black, and Kitty was gone.


	8. Rebuilding

Kitty blinked the sweat from her eyes as she and her crewmate, Ducky, slowly circled each other. Both had swords drawn, and had been sparring for well over half an hour now. The rest of the Spades crew were sat around them, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. Ace sat perched on the railing, smiling as he observed the mock fight.

“Come on, Ducky, move your feet faster,” he called. “She’s kicking your tail.”

“Fight her yourself if you like it so much,” Ducky replied. He helped as Kitty leapt at him, and their swords clashed a few more times before they pulled away again. They obviously weren’t trying to kill each other, but that didn’t mean Kitty would take it easy on her crew.

“Come on, Duck, if you can’t take the heat then get out of the kitchen,” she teased. “Besides, Ace doesn’t have a sword.”

“I’ve got a knife,” Ace retorted. “I just don’t use it often.”

“Oh please, in the whole time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you pull that dagger except to clean it,” Kitty puffed. Ducky swung at her, and they fought for another few heartbeats before disengaging. “Do you even know how to use it?”

“I used it plenty before I got my Devil Fruit,” Ace pouted.

“Yeah, but you gotta-” Kitty ducked, swearing. “Shit, Ducky, you almost actually cut me! - you gotta use it or lose it.”

“Trust me, I haven’t lost anything,” Ace said confidently. He grinned at her, cocking an eyebrow. “But if you want me to use my  _ dagger _ on you, you could always just ask.”

Ducky groaned. “No flirting while I’m fighting.”

“Fine, you go take a break.” Kitty wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to Ace. “Come on,  _ Captain,  _ show us your moves.”

Ace jumped from the railing down to the deck. “I’ll show you my moves anytime,  _ vice captain.” _

The Spades around them all whooped and hollered, excited to see a fight between the two strongest crew members. Kitty and Ace circled each other slowly. “Powers?” she said casually.

“If you think you need them to beat me,” Ace drawled.

She didn’t even pause to scoff at his cockiness. She leapt forward, blade going right for his throat-

Only to be stopped by Ace’s dagger. She hadn’t even seen him draw it. He grinned at her past the interlocked blades. “That the best you got?”

“Not even close.”

They pulled apart and clashed again and again, barely a heartbeat between collisions. Kitty didn’t even hear the crew cheering and jostling, all she saw was the sunlight glittering on the blades and their harsh breathing. With a sword, Kitty had the advantage of distance, but up close, Ace had the advantage of brute strength.

The seconds stretched out as each fought to gain an advantage over the other, neither of them giving the other the opportunity. The stalemate wasn’t broken until Ace stumbled, giving her the opening she needed.

Kitty didn’t hesitate to press the attack, but froze when she felt the cold kiss of metal against her neck. Ace grinned as he pressed his dagger ever so gently against her throat. If he wanted, he could kill her on the spot. “My win,” he said, far too casually for how hard they’d just been fighting.

Around them, the crew burst into cheering, and money changed hands more than once. “You tricked me,” Kitty panted.

“What can I say? You’re tough.” He withdrew the dagger and slid it back into its sheath. “Come on, you know the rules.”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Kitty stuck her tongue out at him. “Smug bastard.”

“What rule?” Ducky demanded. Ace’s grin widened.

“If I win, she has to be on top tonight.”

Kitty groaned while the rest of the crew burst into laughter and taunting catcalls. “If y’all don’t shut up I’ll kick  _ your _ asses.”

—-

A gentle hand shook Kitty’s shoulder, pulling her from sleep. The image of Ace’s laughing face started to fade. She held on tighter to the dream, to the feeling of contentment, but another moment and it had slipped away completely. Kitty cracked an eye to see Hawke standing over her. 

“You’ve been asleep for nearly a day,” she said with a frown. “Come on, you need to eat.”

Kitty closed her eyes again. When Kuma had sent her flying with his Paw-Paw power, she’d landed on the industrial island Fulgur somewhere on the Grand Line, and smashed some equipment upon her landing. The island’s head, Meredith, expected her to say to work off the debt to repair the equipment, since she couldn’t afford to pay the 16 million berry debt. Though how she expected her to work with a broken arm, was beyond Kitty’s comprehension.

The only good part of this so far was Hawke. She was Meredith’s subordinate, and had been tasked to watch over Kitty as she recovered and make sure she didn’t try to run off. However, as injured as she was, and as deep in her depression as she’d sunk, there was little chance of her making a run for it.

Why would she? Her friends were likely scattered across the seas like she’d been. Luffy had been critically injured the last she’d seen of him. Whitebeard himself had died. And Ace...

“I’m not hungry,” Kitty said after a moment. Hawke sat down on the bed with a sigh.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re grieving from, and I know you’re beat halfway to hell and back, but do you really expect to get better if you don’t eat?” she pointed out.

“What’s it matter if I get better?”

“Stop that,” Hawke snapped. For the first time in the three days she’d known her, she sounded angry. “Don’t say that. Is this really the island you wanna die on?”

“Just leave me alone,” Kitty whispered. She’d thought she’d already cried all the tears she had to cry, but apparently not.

Hawke stood with a sigh. “I’m giving you an appointment with our counselor. Maybe they can help you move through this.”

—-

Recovery was slow. Even as her arm healed, the wounds in Kitty’s heart stayed as fresh as when she’d first gotten them. It didn’t help that she now had a horrible massive splotchy scar on both her chest and back now, exactly where Aokiji had punched through Ace’s chest. And it still hurt like hell; she was constantly short of breath, and her heart felt as if she was just one good scare from kneeling over dead.

The only thing that lightened her spirits at all was the news of Luffy reappearing at Marineford of all places. Hawke brought Kitty the newspaper so she could read how Luffy laid flowers there and had a moment of silence for those who’d died. What caught her attention, though, was the markings on Luffy’s arm, just visible past his multitude of bandages he still wore even three weeks after the war. Thankfully, whichever reporter had snapped the picture had had a good camera, so it was easy to make out the markings: 2YFI.

It took her a minute to realize the hidden message: meet at Fishman Island in two years. It made sense. They’d been  _ deeply _ outclassed at Marineford, and if that was any indication what the New World was like, then they’d never survive the second half of the Grand Line without more training.

She took another look at Luffy’s expression. He looked tired, and was clearly recovering from his injuries, but something about him spoke of a newfound drive. Perhaps, if Luffy could watch Ace die in his arms and still have the energy to get up and pull a stunt like this, then Kitty could get up and actually put effort into something.

—-

It was hard going, but Hawke was glad to see Kitty working to regain some of her former drive. Soon, the cast came off of Kitty’s arm, and she dived into things in earnest. She did her best to shake off the lingering nightmares, and focused on training up her Devil Fruit.

Meredith was very interested in it, of course. The island’s revenue was based on catching the lightning that constantly rained down upon the barren, rocky chunk of land, so really there wasn’t a better place for her to spend the next two years.

Generating enough lightning to fill up the massive power storage units had a twofold effect. First, she paid off the entirety of her debt in less than three days after beginning. Second, the more she did it, the stronger her power became.

She’d been mediocre at best when Ace had recruited her to the Spades. She’d been pretty strong when she’d joined Luffy. As the end of the two years approached, she could generate enough power to melt through a titanium plate two feet thick in thirty seconds.

Alongside that, Kitty discovered and trained up her Haki. She had a real penchant for Armament Haki, as it turned out, and eventually was able to extend it to her swords. She discovered this made them strong as hell and able to cut though damn near anything.

And of course, the entire time she missed her friends dearly. Hardly an hour went by where she didn’t think about them, wonder where they were, wonder if they were okay, if they were training like she was, what new skills they may have discovered.

Ace lingered in her thoughts as well, and in her dreams and nightmares even more. 

Melancholy aside, the two year exile went about as well as could be expected, with only one notable exception that resulted in a very interesting lightning-shaped scar on Kitty’s left hand, and in Hawke being permanently partially deaf. 

The final six months after that accident passed quickly, and soon, Kitty finally set sail and said goodbye to Fulgur, to Meredith, and to her dear friend Hawke.


	9. Return

Turns out, getting to Fishman Island would be more difficult than anticipated. Turns out the place was on the bottom of the damn ocean, under the Red Line. A passing ship directed her to Sabaody Archipelago, the stop of every ship to prepare for the descent to the ocean floor.

Kitty would just have to hope that her friends would come to Sabaody too, and hope they would have a ship. As far as she knew, after all, the Thousand Sunny had been left at Marineford, unless some Whitebeard pirate had managed to get it away from the marines. She hoped it was the latter - getting a new ship would be a huge pain in the ass, not to mention they’d just finished settling into the Sunny after the Merry’s untimely demise.

Two hours after making landfall, Kitty settled in at a dinky little bar. The clientele seemed a rough sort, and six men within as many minutes had tried unsuccessfully to get her to leave with them.

She was just thinking to herself that she regretted her choice of place to wait, when someone slid into the seat next to her. “Hey beautiful, can I buy you a drink?” he asked. She glanced at him, halfway to rejecting him, but stopped dead.

_ “Ducky??” _

Her friend grinned at her. “Hey Kit, long time no see.”

Kitty squealed and threw herself at him. Ducky sputtered and turned red under the aggressive hugging. “Oh my god, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since I left the Spades!”

“I’d explain if you let go of my throat,” he wheezed. She finally released him, and he coughed and straightened his clothes. He looked  _ good. _ Over the last three years, he’d gotten a lot taller and a lot more toned, and had grown his hair out a bit. “I’m here as a favor to someone. I hear your crew is looking for a ship.”

“What, are you a shipwright now?”

“Oh no, I don’t have the skill for that,” Ducky said quickly. “No, it’s more complicated than that. You were at Marineford, right?”

The smile slid from Kitty’s face, and she glanced around at them. Nobody was paying them any attention, but that didn’t mean there were no curious ears. “Come on,” she said, grabbing her bag and Ducky’s wrist. She dragged him out of the bar and down a secluded ally, until she was sure they wouldn’t be overheard. “Why are you asking about Marineford,” she said in a low voice. “Nothing happened there I care to remember.”

“I  _ know,  _ I was there too,” Ducky answered. “The Spades joined under Whitebeard when Ace did, so we were there when the war happened.”

“Shit,” Kitty breathed. “I didn’t see you.”

“We got caught up in the back, pinned down by those Pacifistas. That’s some scary shit right there.” Ducky shuddered. “I wish...if we’d been up near the plaza, instead of stuck in the bay, then maybe we could’ve saved Ace.”

Kitty’s hand found her chest and pressed at the ache there. “We’ve all got regrets,” she muttered after a minute. “But you still haven’t explained what you mean about a ship.”

“That’s the thing, after Whitebeard and Ace died, it was...bad. They called a retreat. One of the guys had said your crew was  _ dead,  _ that the Kuma guy had taken you guys out, and that Luffy had a foot in the grave too.”

“Clearly I’m not dead,” Kitty pointed out. “And Luffy isn’t dead either, you must’ve seen him in the paper.”

“Well, yeah, obviously. But I knew if y’all weren’t able to take your ship and get free, then the marines were gonna destroy your ship. So me and some of my boys hopped on and sailed the hell out of there.”

“You have the Sunny?” Kitty hissed. She grabbed his arm. “Where? Is she safe?”

“Ow, god, you’ve got a hell of a grip!” Ducky shook off her grip and rubbed his bruised arm. “Yes, your ship’s just fine, or at least it was this morning when I left.”

“Take me there!”

“Okay, I - ouch! God damn it woman, stop grabbing me!” he swore. “Is the rest of your crew here yet?”

“I...don’t know. I hope so, but I haven’t found anybody yet.”

“If your crew’s as rowdy as Ace described, we’ll find them, don’t worry.” Ducky patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s go.”

\---

The Thousand Sunny looked just as good as she had the first day they’d set sail on her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it - just the sight brought tears to her eyes.

“She’s a hell of a ship,” Ducky commented. “Super fast and maneuverable for its size. Whoever built it sure knew what they were doing.”

“Yeah, he sure did.” The moment they both climbed aboard, Kitty laid down on the grassy deck. “Oh my god, I forgot just how soft this grass is. Come on, come lay down with me.”

“Uh,” Ducky said, “I think maybe you should look at this.”

Kitty sat upright and twisted around. On the upper deck, leaning onto the railing and smiling down at them, was an older, silver haired man in glasses. He gave a half wave. “Well, it’s good to see that one of you finally made it,” he called down to them. “Good work, Sparky.”

Kitty shot Ducky a glance that said  _ we’ll talk later. _ To the old man, she called, “No offense, but who the hell are you and why are you on my ship?”

The man laughed. “Come now, lass, we both know this isn’t  _ really  _ your ship.”

Kitty bristled. “My questions stand.”

The old man casually jumped down to the deck. “I’m Rayleigh. I’m the man who kept  _ your ship _ safe from the World Government for the past two years. I found Sparky here sailing it very badly in the fallout from Marineford, and had him take it here. You’re welcome.”

Kitty whirled on Ducky. “You know you could’ve mentioned that at the beginning.”

“I was gonna but you kept pinching my arm!” Ducky said defensively.

“Anyway, the rest of your crew should be arriving soon, if they haven’t already,” Rayleigh continued. “I’ve got people across the archipelago ready to direct them this way, and I’ve left notes for your shipwright on how to work the bubble coating that’ll get you to Fishman Island.”

“I...suppose I should say thank you,” Kitty said after a second.

“Yes, you should,” Rayleigh said amusedly. “One last thing: there’s a message waiting for you in your locker.”

Kitty squinted. “A message from whom?”

Rayleigh shrugged. “Dunno, none of my business. When you see Luffy, tell him that ‘old man Silvers’ said hello.” And without another word, he turned and headed towards the railing, jumped over the side, landed lightly on the grassy slope, and strode away.

“Who the hell  _ is _ he?” Kitty demanded, mystified.

“You know, I’m still not sure.”

—-

Kitty had to refrain from sinking down onto her bed the moment it came into sight. Thankfully, curiosity was stronger than tiredness, so she dropped her bag on the floor and popped open her locker.

The clothes in there were stiff and musty from two years of disuse, and everything was dusty. Atop her belongings, however, was a small, folded up piece of paper.

She flipped it open and squinted at the handwriting. Written on the paper was “G35” and a hastily drawn spade, like the one you’d find on playing cards. Kitty stared at it, the gears whirring in her mind.

“Impossible,” she whispered.

Kitty shoved the note in her pocket and slammed the door shut, then grabbed her bag again and headed up to the deck two stairs at a time. At the sound of her approach, Ducky turned around and gave her a smile.

“What did the message say?” he asked cheerfully.

“Stay here,” Kitty said bluntly. She vaulted herself off the side of the ship, landing lightly on the grass just as Rayleigh had done.

“Where are you going?” Ducky demanded. “We just got here!”

“I have to go check something. You stay here and tell my crew mates what’s going on, if they arrive before I get back.”

“What are you checking!?”

“A hunch,” Kitty muttered. She took off at a steady jog, the Sunny quickly disappearing behind her. If her suspicion was correct…

But if she was wrong, she was going to find whoever left that note, and make them  _ very sorry. _


	10. Explanations

Grove 35 turned out to be one giant amusement park, overflowing with people. Kitty’s gaze flitted from face to face, trying to find anybody familiar, but without success.

Twenty minutes passed with no luck, and finally she gave in and bought herself an ice cream cone. She licked absentmindedly at the chocolate chip mint dessert as she returned to people watching.

A glimpse of orange caught her eye. She stepped into the crowd, following after it. The orange blob turned out to be an orange hat, but the brim obscured the wearer’s face, and they wore a long cloak that hid their body as well. Overall, very suspicious - especially when they seemed to make sure they stayed close enough for her to follow, but far enough to keep her chasing.

The person ducked into an ally, and Kitty followed a heartbeat later. They finally turned to face her, only their smile visible below the brim of their hat. “Finally. I was wondering if you’d gotten lost,” they said.

“Who are you?” Kitty said sharply. “What the hell is  _ this-”  _ She fumbled for the note, thrusting it at them, “supposed to mean? If this is a joke, it’s not fucking funny.”

“Woah, take it easy, I’m not here for a fight.” The person tipped back their hat finally, revealing freckles and a familiar, easy grin. “I just wanted to drop by and say hello.”

Kitty sucked in a sharp breath. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, could only stare wide eyed at the ghost who’d appeared before her - because that’s what it must be, that was the only thing that made  _ sense. _

“It’s been a while,” Ace said with a smile.

Kitty clasped her hand over her mouth, but couldn’t stop the choked sob forcing itself up her throat. Tears blurred and fractured her vision, and she found herself being tucked up against his chest and wrapped securely in warm, strong, solid arms. She sobbed as she clung to him as if he were her only tether to reality; as if, if she loosened her hold, he’d vanish again, never to return.

“I saw you die,” Kitty mumbled wetly into his neck. “Akainu...he ran you through. You  _ died, _ I felt it.”

Ace stroked her hair with one hand and held her tightly with the other. “As if I’d let something like that keep me from you.” His words were light and teasing, but she could hear the waves of emotion underneath - this meant every bit as much to him as it did to her. “I promised I’d see you again. I never break a promise.”

Finally, Kitty pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. “How?” she whispered. “How did you escape? How did you  _ survive?” _

“I’ll tell you the whole thing, but let’s get somewhere more private. It’s a  _ long _ story.” Ace grabbed her hand, and with a wink pulled her out of the ally and back into the amusement park crowds.

—-

He led her away from the amusement area, back towards the shipyards where it was more quiet. There was a seedy little hotel there, he explained as they went, where he’d gotten a room. They could talk privately there.

The whole time they walked, Kitty kept an iron grip on his hand. She was terrified that if she let go, that if she took her eyes off him, Ace would vanish back into the grave once more. Judging from the glances he kept giving her, he knew exactly what was going through her mind.

Now that she’d calmed down a little, she took a closer look at him. He hadn’t really changed that much; his hair was a little longer and tied back in a little half ponytail, and he had a different hat and outfit. His face was a bit more lined around the eyes, and if she looked close, she could see a gray hair or two at his temples. What he’s gone through was enough to age anybody, she supposed.

Finally they made it to the hotel and dropped their bags, then settled in sitting cross legged on the floor. “You said you were going to explain how you survived,” Kitty reminded him. Unsurprisingly, her voice was raw, but Ace didn’t mention it.

“I did. Let’s see...you were at Marineford. You saw Marco fighting, right?”

Kitty nodded. “He turned into a phoenix.”

“Right. Well, he’s also one of the ship doctors, because a good part of his powers are healing properties.” Ace’s gaze turned distant. “I fought with Akainu...I thought that since our powers were similar, it’d be a more even fight, but I guess not. Not to mention he’s a fucking scumbag who went after Luffy just because he’s Dragon’s son, when there’s no chance in hell Luffy could’ve posed a threat to him.

“You know exactly how bad I got hurt there. My internal organs were scorched, spine destroyed beyond repair, bleeding like shit. The only reason I’m standing here today is because Marco was at the right place at the right time to grab me and run like hell.”

“Even with some great healing powers, you shouldn’t have survived an injury that bad,” Kitty argued. “It  _ destroyed  _ you. You shouldn’t be  _ alive, _ let alone walking around as if nothing happened.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t easy,” Ace chuckled darkly. He lifted off his shirt, and Kitty sucked in a breath. Smack in the center of his torso was a massive, ugly, splotchy scar, the twin to the one she carried. If he turned around, she knew she’d see the same thing on his back, destroying his beloved Whitebeard tattoo.

If there were any doubts that he was her soulmate, they were gone now.

“To be technical, I died three different times, for a few minutes each time. It took Marco months to finish the surgeries getting me in halfway decent shape, and a year of therapy after that to get me upright and walking. I still have issues breathing sometimes, and can’t eat  _ nearly  _ as much anymore. That’s been the worst part of it, honestly,” Ace finished.

“Really?”

“Well...no. The worst part was hearing from Marco what happened after I passed out. Jimbe grabbed Luffy and ran, but both of them were severely injured while they ran. Kuma showed up and decimated the Whitebeards, and the rest of your whole crew...including you. Luffy disappeared on Trafalgar Law’s submarine, and you...the world thought you were dead.  _ I _ thought you were dead.” Ace’s hand squeezed hers. His voice was hoarse. “But then Luffy showed up in Marineford again, that idiot. Even beaten to hell and back, he just had to stick it to the marines one last time, eh? That’s my little brother I know and love.

“But then...six months ago, I found out you were  _ alive.  _ Kuma didn’t kill you or your crew, he just displaced you.” Ace lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles reverently. “Wherever you were, something happened to give you these scars on your hand, and  _ I felt it _ . I knew you were alive. I had to find you again. I’ve spent the last six months tracking you down, thanks to Luffy’s helpful hint two years ago in the newspaper. I left a note in your locker on your new ship, knowing you’d see it and investigate if you thought there was any chance it was me.”

Kitty pulled her scarred hand from his grasp. “You...you  _ know? _ ”

Ace lifted his left hand, where identical lightning-shaped scars trailed from his fingertips, over his palm, to his wrist.  _ Exactly  _ like hers. “Of course. I’d had suspicions...but I knew for sure when I felt you break your arm at Marineford, and when I saw you go down when I was hurt.”

“But I told you my soulmate died,” Kitty protested. “Years ago!”

“Well, yeah, but I got my Devil Fruit years ago. Before that, you probably got a ton of scrapes and bruises from me as a kid. You’d have been nearly 18 when it stopped, right? It makes sense that basically nothing would hurt me as a Logia. At least, until that motherfucker Blackbeard beat me, and took me to Impel Down.” Ace shuddered at the memory. “I’m sure you know that wasn’t exactly a spa resort.”

“I know,” Kitty said somberly.

They fell silent for a moment. Ace’s thumb rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand.  _ Alive.  _ He was  _ alive. _

“I suspected you were my soulmate when the pain coincided with you being imprisoned,” Kitty said quietly, breaking the silence, “but I didn’t know for sure until you got hurt.”

Ace nodded, and watched carefully as Kitty lifted her own shirt to reveal her matching scar, visible beneath her bra. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I wish you didn’t have to go through that.”

Kitty dropped her shirt back down and scooched closer to him. “I’m just... _ so glad  _ you’re okay,” she said, voice breaking. Ace scooped her up and pulled her into his lap, where she held him tightly as tears welled up again. Ace cried too, holding her close as if she would try to escape.

_ Never, _ Kitty thought to herself.  _ I’m never going to let go of him again. _

—-

A long time passed like that, talking softly now and then but mostly just sitting quietly, soaking up each other’s company. Kitty actually nearly dozed off before she jerked awake. “Oh shit, I forgot!” she blurted out. “Ducky!”

“Eh?”

“Ducky! He’s here! He saved the Sunny from the marines, I told him to wait there for me!” Kitty scrambled up off Ace’s lap, then stopped. “Wait, are you…”

She trailed off uncertainly, but Ace seemed to know what she was thinking. “With Whitebeard dead, the Whitebeard pirates are scattered across the world again. I’m still loyal to my old crew mates, but I’m not a Whitebeard anymore. And I’m not hiding anymore,” he added with a smile. “I was just keeping a low profile till I found you. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“Luffy deserves to know,” Kitty said quietly. “Ducky too.”

“You’re right. Ready to go shock your crew?”

Kitty’s hand found Ace’s and entwined their fingers. “Technically, I always shock them,” she said with a smile. “But this time will  _ really  _ take the cake.”


	11. Reconciliation

Ace pulled back on the cloak and kept his hat low while they headed back towards the Sunny. When the lion figurehead finally came back into view, Kitty stopped. “Stay here for a second,” she told him. “I wanna make sure everyone’s there already so we don’t have to explain multiple times.”

“Sounds fair.” Ace pulled her close and kissed her softly, slowly. “Just wanted to get one of those in before the shit hits the fan.”

Kitty giggled. “Probably a good idea.” She kissed him again, lingering for two more heartbeats before finally pulling away and heading towards the ship.

“WOOOOAAAAHHH, who’s that stunning vision headed our way?”

Franky’s voice echoed across the water, and multiple heads popped up over the railing. Kitty’s face split in a smile as she waved. “Hey!” she called. “You’re all here!”

Nami offered Kitty a hand and helped pull her aboard. “Oh my god, you look great!” Nami gushed.

“You too! You grew your hair out! And you too, Usopp! Holy shit, you got buff!”

Usopp flexed. “I may have!”

“Kittyyyy~” There was Sanji, usual cigarette in his mouth and hearts in his eyes. “You have always been absolutely radiant but now you outshine all the sun and stars themselves, more beautiful than a sunset on the open sea-”

“You’re being fucking obnoxious,” Zoro growled. Even with an eye scarred and left closed, presumably critically injured, he hadn’t really changed a bit, it seemed. Neither had Sanji, for that matter.

“Kitty! Sanji is right, you look positively radiant,” Brook exclaimed. “May I see your panties?”

“You know, I can’t believe I missed you asking that,” Kitty said dryly.

“Does that mean you’ll let me?”

“No.”

The Straw Hats’ excited babbling was interrupted by  _ the  _ Straw Hat himself, screaming with delight as he shot himself across the deck like a giant, overexcited rubber band. “KITTY YOU MADE IT!!” Luffy hollered, directly in her ear. He pointed over at Ducky, who looked on with intimidated amusement. “THIS GUY SAID YOU MADE IT BEFORE EVERYBODY BUT LEFT!!”

Kitty scrambled to free herself from her captain’s rubbery embrace. “God, stop screaming in my ear! I’m happy to see you too.”

“It looks like everybody finally made it,” Robin said with a smile.

“YEEEAAAHHH! It’s thanks to Kitty’s friend here that the Sunny stayed in  _ super  _ shape while we were gone!” Franky struck a pose with his new enormous metal arms. “We owe you, man!”

“It’s not a big deal,” Ducky stammered. “Just wanted to help.”

“Alright! Time to set sail for Fishman Island!” Luffy hollered, finally releasing Kitty. “Let’s go!”

“Wait!” Everyone paused, looking at Kitty. “Ducky told you guys I had to go check something, right? I have to show you what I found first.”

“What is it?” Chopper asked curiously.

“Well, not so much a what as a whom,” Kitty said evasively. She turned and leaned over the ship railing, put her fingers to her lips, and whistled loudly.

“What-” Usopp started to say. He was interrupted, however, by the soft thump of Ace’s boots hitting the grassy deck. He’d ditched the cloak, and stood before them all, grinning.

“Hey,” he drawled.

If Kitty had thought she’d cried a lot, that was  _ nothing  _ compared to Luffy. There was a solid five seconds of shocked silence before the dam broke. Luffy attached himself to Ace like white on rice, and a half second later Ducky did the same. Ace cried again too, hugging his brother and friend. The three boys collapsed in a wet, sobbing mess.

“That’s going to take a while to settle down,” Nami remarked, coming up beside Kitty. Despite the light tone, Nami wiped a tear of her own as she watched the reunion. “I can’t believe it. How on earth did he survive?” 

“I’ll let him explain,” Kitty answered. “It’s a long story and I’m sure everyone else wants to hear it too.”

Nami wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Well, I’m happy for you. You two got a second chance at life together. Don’t waste it.”

“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere without him,” Kitty murmured.

—-

Luffy was  _ still  _ crying half an hour later when Ace finally disentangled himself from him and Ducky. Leaving the two boys sniffling on the deck, he went back over to Kitty. “I also need to ask you...before y’all set sail, I need to know what you have planned,” he said to her, just quiet enough for only her to hear. “Are you gonna stay on Luffy’s crew?”

“I...I want to. They’re my family. But  _ you’re  _ my family too.”

Ace nodded as if that decided everything for him. “In that case...hey, Luffy!”

“Yeah?” Luffy answered wetly.

“Is the offer to join your crew still good?”

Luffy leapt to his feet, wide eyed. “You mean it?” he demanded. “You wanna be on my crew?”

Ace grinned. “The last time I let you out of my sight, little brother, you sailed straight into marine headquarters. Who else is gonna keep you out of trouble?”

Kitty snorted. “You say that as if you’ve never  _ caused  _ trouble a day in your life, dear old captain.”

Ace stuck his tongue out at her. “Whatever. Plus, I want to stay with Kitty. My option seems pretty clear to me. What do you say?”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t ever serve under me?” Luffy pointed out. 

“Well, there’s a few things death can make you change your mind about.”

Luffy wiped his tears. “Of course you can be on my crew!”

Everyone burst into cheering and chattering, only to be interrupted by Zoro. “Not to cut the celebration short, but it looks like some marines have spotted us,” he pointed out.

“What’s the verdict, Luffy?” Franky asked. “Should I fire up the bubble coating?”

“Wait a minute,” Ducky interrupted frantically. “I’m happy for y’all but I’ve got my own crew to return to, let me off first-”

Kitty pulled her old friend into a tight hug. “Thank you for everything,” she mumbled into his ear. She kissed his cheek.  “Stay safe.”

Ducky patted her back. “No promises, of course.” Ace hugged him in turn, and Ducky’s eyes were damp when he finally pulled away. “I’ll see you both again someday, okay? That’s a promise.”

“Come find us in the New World,” Kitty called after him as he headed down to shore. “I’m sure it won’t be hard to follow our trail.”

Ducky stayed within sight as Franky inflated the shimmery, colorful bubble coating. Her old friend waved as the ship sank beneath the waves, quickly swallowed up by the calm blue sea.

—-

Nami estimated the descent would take nearly a full day, assuming everything went well. Sanji whipped up a celebratory lunch worthy of the Pirate King himself, and Ace spent the meal giving a dramatic retelling of how he’d just barely slipped out of death’s jaws, mostly thanks to Marco. It was much less somber than how he’d told Kitty - she knew the actual, more serious details would come later. For now, they ate and drank until nobody could sit up straight. This was more than welcoming a new crew member; this was a family reunion years in the making.

Hours passed before everyone finally started nodding off. Ace himself had passed out and woken up again multiple times over, to nobody’s surprise. Kitty waited at least until Luffy passed out, then went up to Zoro.

“Hey, I need a favor,” she said in an undertone.

“What’s up?”

“I’m going to  _ borrow _ Ace for a bit. If you keep everybody away from us until we come back out, I will buy you all the booze you can drink at the next bar we find.”

Zoro’s remaining eye lit up with amusement. “I mean, I’m not sure you can afford it, but yeah I’ll play bodyguard.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t forget to use protection,” he called mockingly after her. Kitty turned back around and shot him the bird, and Zoro’s laughter followed them as Kitty grabbed Ace’s wrist and pulled him towards the crew quarters.

The door closed behind them, and finally they were alone. “I was wondering when you’d try and get me alone,” Ace teased.

“It’s been over three years since had some time to actually relax together,” Kitty replied. She slid her hands up his chest, fingertips just barely brushing his chest scar. “And the last couple of years have helped me appreciate what I do have. Family, friends, friends who are family...and you.”

Ace leaned down and kissed her softly. “You know, I thought you dragged me in here so we could make up for all the sex we didn’t have while separated, and here you are making me feel all emotional. You’re giving me mixed signals,” he teased.

Kitty laughed. “Sorry. I just... _ really  _ missed you.” She kissed him again, and again. “I bribed Zoro to make sure we have privacy tonight.”

“Oh yeah? I suggest we take advantage of that. He’s gonna drunk your purse dry.”

“Maybe, but for you, it’s worth it.”


End file.
